The Jets special teams won the game for them Sunday in more ways than the obvious one.
Special teams coach Ben Kotwica tipped off the officials during the game with the Patriots that Bill Belichick’s boys were breaking the new “pushing” rule, according to a source.
That led to the officials flagging the Patriots for unnecessary roughness on Nick Folk’s 56-yard field-goal attempt in overtime when Patriots rookie Chris Jones gave teammate Will Svitek a shove up the middle of the formation on the attempt.
The flag gave the Jets another shot and Folk hit a 42-yard field goal moments later to secure the 30-27 win for Gang Green.
Jets coach Rex Ryan hinted the Jets were aware of the Patriots’ practice of illegally pushing teammates while defending field goals, but would not admit his coaching staff tipped off the officials.
Video of the Patriots-Saints game from Week 6 shows the Patriots committing the same foul they committed against the Jets in overtime Sunday with the same players. Jones pushed Svitek up the middle on a field-goal attempt, but no penalty was called in the Saints game.
Ryan played coy in a conference call with reporters. He said he would not disclose any conversations with the officials, but when asked if he was aware of the Patriots doing the same thing against the Saints, he dropped a hint the officials were tipped off.
“Let’s just put it this way: we watch every single play,” Ryan said. “I don’t care if it’s Week 16 or whatever we’re going to watch every play of the opponent. That’s what we do as coaches.”
The rule is new this season and had not been called before Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
Belichick initially said he thought the rule was misinterpreted by the officials, but then admitted Monday it was he and his coaches that did not understand the rule properly.
Longtime Jets special teams coach Mike Westhoff said if Ryan and the Jets coaches caught the Patriots doing it in prior games, they made the right call telling the officials.
“If they did see it and they alerted the officials, then that’s damn good coaching,” Westhoff, now an analyst for ESPN Radio, said. “You should know it and if you don’t know it that’s your fault. If you did know it and were doing it anyway you really have to answer the question: why would you do it on a 56-yard field goal? That’s not very prudent.”
Westhoff said it was the right call, but questioned throwing the flag in a game-deciding moment.
“It’s the exact right call,” Westhoff said. “But you don’t like to see a game decided on a call. You don’t want to see that. You want to see the game decided on the merits of what took place in the play.”
Belichick originally said he believed it was only a foul if a player off the line of scrimmage pushed one on the line of scrimmage into the offensive player. That is actually how the rule, which was pushed for by the players, was first written in the spring. But the competition committee changed the rule to apply to all defensive players on a kick.
Jones was lined up next to Svitek on the attempt Sunday and took a step behind him and pushed him into Jets lineman Damon Harrison, who was lined up at guard.
“I saw that the guy directly to my right was giving his teammate a push,” Harrison said. “Going back to training camp it was an emphasis that you can’t push anyone on the field goals.”
Westhoff said he was positive Jones had been coached to do that and did not just do it on his own.
“Absolutely,” Westhoff said. “I can tell you why. When you see the alignment, the guy that was going to be the pusher was lined up deeper to gain leverage.
“I know that technique. I’ve designed it, taught it and coached it a hundred times.”
Ryan grew a little annoyed with reporters’ repeated questions about the penalty, feeling it was detracting from the credit his team deserved for winning the game.
“The focus is going to be wherever you guys want it to be,” Ryan said. “But I think we out-played New England, and I think that’s why we won the game.”
There is no denying the penalty was game-changing. If Folk’s miss from 56 yards stood, Tom Brady would have gotten the ball at the Jets’ 46. Two throws would have put the Patriots in field-goal range.
The penalty should not take away from what the Jets did, though, rallying from 11 points down to totally dominate the Patriots in the second half. Ryan said they respect the Patriots, but made it clear the Jets thought they could win.
“We fear nobody, I mean nobody,” Ryan said. “What that means, win-loss wise, I don’t know. But we literally fear nobody.”